Which option emphasizes proactive behavior to reduce stress?

• A. Take action
• B. Reduce breathing rate
• C. Rest in a quiet place
• D. Reduce mental activities

Answer: (A)

Taking action embodies proactive coping, which means actively addressing the source of stress or planning steps to prevent it from escalating. By initiating concrete steps—like prioritizing tasks, creating a plan, breaking work into manageable parts, or seeking help—you directly reduce the situation that’s causing stress and increase your sense of control, which lowers overall stress over time. The other options are useful for calming or relief in the moment, but they don’t tackle the root cause as directly: slowing breathing and resting quiet the body, while reducing mental activities lightens cognitive load, but none of these change the underlying stressor through active problem-solving.